Improvement in self-coupling draw-hooks and buffers



2 Sheets-Seet 1. P. G. GARDINER.

lmprovemen in Self-Coupiing Draw Hooks and Buffers.

Patented Meu/23,1871.

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ZSheets--Shoet 2.. P. G. GARDlNER.

Improvement in Self-Coupling Draw Hooks and Buffers. No. 115,050, Patented May 23,1871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERRY G. GARDINER, OF NEW YORK, N.

IMPROVEMENT IN SELF-COUPLING DRAW-HOOKS AND BUFFERS.

Specificationl forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,050, dated May 23, 1871.

I, PERRY G. GARDINER, of the city and county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Coupling for Railroad Cars, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention'is to connect the cars of a railroad train together by a couplingand-butter arrangement united, so as to maintain a sufficiently-constant elastic pressureto prevent jerking or jamming when the train is in motion, or when slowing or stopping or starting.; and my invention consists, irst, in combining a buffer and draw-rod with a peculiarly-constructed sliding and vibrating sleeve or butter-block, arranged upon the rod and the shoulder of the hook, so that when the cars are coupled the block or sleeve will act as an elastic buii'er by a spring suitably arranged upon the draw and butter-rod 5 secondly, in the combination and arrangement of the buffer-sleeve or block with springs arranged upon the rod as draw and buffer springs, so that v when the cars are coupled the compression of the draw-sprin g shall never exhaust the pressure ofthe bud'er-sprin g upon the buffer-sleeve in the drawing of the train; and when under compression from the cars slowing or stopping, the buer-block shall act as well upon the b ui'er-spring as the draw-spring, by compres sion, with a sufIic-iently-elastic resistance to prevent jamming or sudden shocks of the cars.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure I is a front-end elevation of my invention, and a portion of the platform-beam to which it is attached. Fig. 1I is a top or plan view of the united draw and coupling rod and springs attached, and their bearings, and of the sleeve or sliding and vibrating buffer-block and coup- 1in glhook, and of the pushing or closing coupling-spring, and of the uncoupling-wheel and chain and lever attached, the sleeve or bilderblock and part of the rod and coupling-hook being shown in horizontal section through the middle. Fig. III is an end elevation of the bearings and crossplate, in which the end of the draw-rod is xed opposite to that of Fig. I. Fig. IV is a side View or elevation of the said apparatus, a part of the draw-rod and sleeve-block being in section. Fig. V is a top view or plan ofthe coupling-hooks and bui'erheads when coupled together, with part of the rods attached. Fig. Vl is the same as Fig. V,

but showing the position of the hook and rod when the cars are running on a curve.

In all the igures similar letters represent similar parts.

The construction of my invention and improvements is as follows: The draw-hook a, Figs. II and IV, with its rod a1, jointed at a2 so as to vibrate laterally, is supported by the two parallel bearing-plates b c, through central openings in which the rod passes, and is secured by a screw-nut upon the end outside of the plate c. bis a compressor sliding plate. c is a both draw and compressor sliding plate, both b and c moving back and forth in suitable slots in the side bearing-plates d d, strongly secured to the middle longitudinal timbers e e of the platform, Figs. III and IV. The drawspring is seen at f, andthe buffer-spring at g, Figs. vII and IV. The portion of the rod al which is next the draw-hook et is surrounded by the sleeve or sliding and vibrating bufferblock h. The fore part of this sleeve or block It is externally rectangular in form, as seen at g, Fig. I, while the after portion ot' it is tubula'r in form, as seen in Figs. II and IV. In its front face it is partially hollowed out or slotted to correspond with the form of the hook; and it is so placed in its bearing as to have a lateral vibration suitable for regulating the move-l ment of the hook in coupling and uncoupling. For this purpose the space or width of the bearing is made wider than the width ofthe sleeve-block, to allow 'its lateral play. The neck of the hook does not vibrate within the sleeve-block, but is moved in a lateral direction with the block. The sleeve or bufferblock, with the rod within it and hook attached, is kept in the required central line of traction, as well as made to act as self-coupling by thelpressure of the side spring and follower t', Fig. II, upon the side face of the sleeve-block h. The sleeve-block h is supported in the strong suspending-bracket k, firmly bolted and secured under the platform crossbeam l, Fig. I. The buffer-spring gis arranged upon the rod a). It has its bearing at one end upon the end face of the tubular portion of the sleeve-block h, and at its other end its bearing is upon the shoulder g upon the rod. The draw-spring f is also arranged upon the rod, having its bearing at one end upon the sliding e an :new

compressor cross-plate b, and at the other end upon the sliding draw-plate c. The rod, when. drawn forward, slides freely through the front bearing-plate b. The draw-hook a is constructed as shown in Fig. V in plan, and in side view in Fig. IV, and in outer end View in Fig. I. It is constructed with the rounded recess in the throat of the hook within the face of the sleeve, and in the greatly-enlarged depth vertically of the head or end of the hook by which (its outer end being slightly rounded) it is made to answer as a buffer-head, by coming in contact, when the cars are coupled, with the outer face of the sleeve-block h.

The buffer-spring and draw-spring are adjusted and graduated with reference to their power and range of motion, so that there will be always a compression of the butter-springs when the ears are connected, and consequently a pressure upon the sliding buffer-block 7., so as to force against the hoek or bilder-head of the opposite draw-hook.

When the cars are forced Vtogether into coupling each hook or buffer-head forces back the sleeve or sliding buffer-block so as to have the pressure ot' the buffer-spring against it before the coupling-hooks Will bein a position to shut together. When the cars come tomust have a range ot' motion less than t'h at of the buffer-spring g, so that should the range of motion ofthe draW-sprin g be exhausted by the resistance of the traction of the cars there will still be sufficient range of motion left unexhausted in the buffer-spring to preserve a continuous elastic pressure upon the buffer- 'heads5 thus, for illustration, it the range of motion of the draw-spring is one inch and that of the bufli'erspring an inch and a halt', then if, by the force of pressure in the coupling, the buffer-spring is compressed one inch, and the cars are drawn apart in the train so as to exhaust the range of motion of the draw-spring, there Will, nevertheless, alway remain at least a range ot motion ot' half an inch in the bufferspring, and consequent elastic pressure ot the buffer-block upon the opposite buffer-head.

Having thus described my combined buffer and draw-coupling, and the manner of constructin g and operating thesa'me, what I claim therein as my invention, and for which I desire Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the draw and buffen rod with the peculiarlyconstructed sliding and vibrating sleeve or buffer-head h, arranged upon the rod and shoulder of the hook, in connection with the butter-spring, so as to maintain a constant elastic bult'er pressure between the cars, constructed, arranged, and operating substantially' as described 2. The combination of the buffer-head or sleeve with the springs g andf, arranged upon the rod as draw and buffer springs, constructed and operating substantially as described.

l). G. GARDINER.

Vitnesses:

J. B. STAPLES, T. BOND. 

